INTRODUCING THEIR HYBRID ‘SPECTRAPOP’ AESTHETIC TO THE WORLD, MULTI-TALENTED BRANSON DUO’S GENRE-TRANSCENDENT DEBUT ‘THE PREFACE’ EMBODIES THE SPIRIT OF HOPE AND GLOBAL UNITY
In these troubling, divisive times, as we engage in more and more soul searching to find our way out of the darkness, we feel compelled to ask: Can the power of music soften hearts, break down barriers and unite the world? Can one ambitious duo’s multi-faceted indie debut album create that open door and start a transformational dialogue?
Branson, Missouri based singer/songwriters/producers Brydon Brett and Aaron Space, collectively known as Prince Ivan, not only believe it’s possible, they’ve created several unique phrases to encapsulate their ambitious universal vision and creative aesthetic.
Evolving organically from their wide array of influences and the multitude of styles that seeps in from living for years in America’s variety show capital, their epic 16-track album – promisingly titled The Preface – incorporates their passions for pop, R&B, hip-hop, EDM and gospel. From the infectious, beat intensive and atmospheric anthem “If Love Doesn’t Win” to the explosive “take us to church” affirmative inspirations of “High Hopes,” their eclectic slate of new songs speak truth to a unique universal desire to overcome our differences and forge new bonds.
More than simply crafting a sparkling, emotionally impactful, melody and groove intensive collection, the recording lays an impactful foundation for SpectraPop– a mainstream musical output that combines elements of pop, R&B, funk, soul, disco, world, jazz, Latin, rock, gospel, blues, African, Electronic, hip hop and other musical styles into one soul-infused whole designed to unite the human family. SpectraPop is the musical element for the duo’s larger mission to forge their concept of SpectraCulture – a worldwide love, prosperity, joy, equality, peace and unity driven movement capturing the truth that we are all beautiful lights along a wide and connected spectrum. Their passion for bringing people together extends beyond their concerts at clubs, festivals and colleges and includes workshops and music programs via their offshoot organization Music in Schools.
At the root of Brydon and Aaron’s ambitious social consciousness is the simple desire to write and perform fun, heartfelt, dynamic, thoughtful and provocative music that is clean and appropriate for all ages. Originally launching the group back in 2013 with a third member, Brydon’s brother Garon, they named themselves Prince Ivan when Brydon’s nephew Ivan was a toddler. Their focus was music that would reflect a spirit of fighting for him and his generation – and creating a better world for him to grow up in. Aaron says, “We’re fighting to create mainstream popular music that we’d never be ashamed or embarrassed to show him. His name is a constant reminder for us to stay focused on our mission. We want to make sure that everybody can listen to our music.”
As for the wild diversity we hear on The Preface, Brydon says, “We’re not afraid to sample anything from any culture, or to blur genre, cultural and societal lines. Our whole concept is that music should bring people together. Considering the way people of all ages consume it these days, we see pop music moving away from specific genres into moods, feelings, playlists and moments. The clean component is important to us, and our hope is that we can link with and inspire other artists to create their art with the same sensibilities in mind. As we develop our vision for SpectraPop, we hope that it can embody a larger movement of music that goes beyond the specialized genre we created to encapsulate our sound.”
In an age when many indie artists prefer releasing singles and short EPs, The Preface harkens back to the full-length CD era where the artist’s concept has the time and space to develop and enrich the listener. The 12 songs were co-produced with Austin Armstrong, Brydon’s cousin and a product of Berklee College of Music who is an emerging songwriter, producer and artist from Los Angeles; he recently landed a placement with R3hab. Because of the vast scope of the set list, the duo suggests some key entry points into “The Preface Experience.” Their overall message is reflected in “If Love Doesn’t Win,” which couches a universal plea for unity in a passionate song about trying to keep a relationship thriving: “If love doesn’t win, we lose, we lose, we lose/We can fight or forgive, we choose…” Another can’t miss track, the seductive, easy grooving, harmony driven EDM-influenced ballad “Let Her Be Beautiful,” has been placed in the upcoming indie film “The Never List.”
Other dynamic entry points are the hipster old school romantic, rap/hip-hop flavored “DJ Tonight” and “High Hopes,” which chronicles Prince Ivan’s own personal and creative struggles while empowering people to never give up on their own hopes and dreams. Brydon and Aaron bring their own deep faith into the hypnotic, gospel-fired mix when they sing/rap: “Never knew I had a dream/Till I got with Dr. King/Told me love will set you free/Lord, help me to believe…”“We love every song on the album,” says Aaron. “To us, every song is a potential single.” The duo’s keen sense of insightful autobiographical storytelling and fun extends to their “The Preface (Intro)”, which artfully explains their musical and overall mission and imagines their music as part of a battle of good vs. evil as championed by a literal courageous young Prince Ivan; the collection also includes the interludes “The Foreword,” “The Process” and “The Concept (Outro).”
Prince Ivan’s occasionally bumpy, always challenging but ultimately rewarding road to its current breakthrough success with The Preface traces back to Brydon and Aaron’s days at Southern Virginia University. Brydon, a native of Dallas, went there to play basketball and Aaron, originally from the Metro DC area, played football, but they bonded quickly over music and ended up in a popular a capella group, performing together for a semester. While Aaron left school and went home to Mesa, AZ, Brydon got on the musical fast track with his multi-talented family, The Bretts, who went to Branson for a family reunion and wound up auditioning for a company looking to book family acts. The Bretts, which includes Brydon, Garon, their sister and parents, are now going into their 21st season performing at Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theater. During the family’s engagement there, Aaron moved to Branson, plugged into the music scene and became their lighting director.
Brydon says, “Branson has variety. You can’t succeed in Branson unless you can play all styles—rock, country, soul, disco, Latin, funk, pop, etc. For a long time, we tried to run from Branson’s influence on us musically, but we’ve now embraced it. It’s because of our exposure to so many styles of music that we seek to bring multi-genre influence to the music we write. We try to take the best from all genres and blend it into a catchy, hook-driven, commercially relevant style that appeals broadly.”
The trio of Brydon, Aaron and Garon started a band with a different vibe and name in 2009, but their momentum was interrupted by Aaron and Garon going on mission trips at different times. Their desire to make music together remained, and by 2013, they rebranded as Prince Ivan and started posting YouTube videos of original songs and mashups of familiar songs. They launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund their first EP Once Upon a Night (released in 2015) and performed their first live gig at a block party (before an audience upwards of 1000) in Branson in the summer of 2014. Balancing their Prince Ivan pursuits with a demanding work schedule with The Bretts was a challenge but they managed. Their healthy slate of local performances led them to a two-year residency at Dick Clark’s theater and a third year at Mickey Gilley’s Grand Shanghai Theatre.
Despite the outward appearance of success, there were financial issues which required scaling down the business model to cut down on overhead. While dealing with that, the group also had to shift dramatically when Garon decided to depart from his role as a full-time member and instead focus on his schooling and solo music career (though to this day he is still a co-writer with Prince Ivan). Via Branson-based producer DJ Lux, Brydon and Aaron secured an artist development deal with a well-connected consultant in L.A., only to realize they had been signed based on what the consultant had heard of them as a trio. They hadn’t yet figured out a strong vision or musical direction as a duo in the wake of Garon’s departure. They spent much of 2018 in soul searching mode, and finally got their creative flow moving again when DJ Lux connected them with Grammy winning songwriter Carlos Battey.
The duo flew Battey to Branson and then traveled to L.A. to write with him again. While in L.A., they also set up a writer’s camp with Austin Armstrong and Garon (who they flew in from Utah), and wrote what they considered their best songs ever. “Meeting and collaborating with Carlos was the beginning of our turnaround,” Brydon says. “He templated and modeled how modern songwriting was done, and something clicked for us.” Battey is a co-writer on “If Love Doesn’t Win” and “Invited.” Another key decision Brydon and Aaron made was to stop chasing a record deal and build their creative vision as an independent band with the support of what Brydon calls “this goldmine of fans we already had that we weren’t nurturing. We kind of lost sight of what got us to where we were. So, we decided to build our business and brand indie style again while cultivating and caring for what we consider our tribe. We knew we had a lot of good songs and, with what we’d learned, we knew we could produce and release the album ourselves.” “
In a lot of ways, we’re still exploring our musical identity,” Aaron says. “But we felt it was time to put our best foot forward, assemble a great team, and create the best music we could make. With every track on The Preface, we feel we have successfully transitioned from trio to duo while building on the vision we have always had.”
Brydon adds, “What keeps Prince Ivan, the band and the overall experience, exciting is that we have chosen to focus on our commonalities rather than our differences, and brought so many wonderful collaborators together to help us develop our sound and overall vision. The theme of The Preface is that it’s a new beginning and it’s a bridge – a bridge from us as a trio to a duo and a bridge leading into the world we’re hoping to create artistically and literally. What motivates us every day is the opportunity to bring people together over music. True to its title, the new album is definitely just the beginning of the Prince Ivan journey. Beyond that, it’s also a big bold move for us into the realm of modern Top 40 music. We’re excited to see what rooms and conversations this album gets us into. It’s already starting to take off!”
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